Forget And Not Slow Down
by xSlytherclaWx
Summary: Moments of Regulus Black's life, and some of those around him. Goes along with Disenchanted. Featuring a very Draco-like Regulus in later chapters, and the breaking of about a dozen school rules.
1. Prologue

_**Forget and Not Slow Down**_

**Prologue**

"Who was that girl with your friend?"

"Which girl and which friend?"

"The friend with the scars on his face… the blonde girl. Who was she?"

Sirius smirked. "That would be Emmeline. Apparently she's something like Remus's sister… like her parents died and left her to Remus's parents. She's the same age as you. Why?"

"Just wondering."

Months apart didn't hinder Sirius's ability to know when his brother was lying.

"I'm sure."

"She's pretty."

"There it is," Sirius muttered. "Well apparently, she's nice, like you. I think Peter's already planning your wedding."

"Shove off. And to think I missed you."

* * *

**Author's Note:** This entire thing – it's not properly a _story,_ I don't think – goes along with _Disenchanted_ and will make a lot more sense if you read that first. These chapters will be in non-sequential order. This may not be updated regularly, and finished abruptly, but it will be updated.

**Rating: T **(for later chapters)

**Characters:** Regulus Black, Sirius Black, Frank Longbottom, Alice Prewett (Longbottom), Marlene McKinnon, Caradoc Dearborn, Emmeline Vance, Remus Lupin, James Potter, Lily Evans, Severus Snape, Bertram Aubrey, OCs

**Story Years:** 1971-1979

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Harry Potter_. If I did, Neville would be the main character and Regulus would have lived. And Neville's parents wouldn't have been driven to insanity. And Lily would have married Remus. So Harry Potter wouldn't even exist, technically. And Lily and Remus would be alive. And Neville would marry Luna rather than that blasted Hufflepuff Hannah Abbott. And – well, just be assured that I don't own any characters that you don't recognize. As a matter of fact:

**I own:** Lizzy Prewett, Brendon Poe, Gerard Rush, Antoinette Bellerose, Ashley Ellington, Meissa Montague, Aza Montague, Castor Vane, Pollux Vane, Demelza Bones, Karen Abbott, and most of the characters that you don't recognize. (Don't worry, most of these OCs are very minor.)

**Also:** Yes! I'm alive! After months of not updating! And I swear, I am working on my Neville oneshot; this is just what my Regulus one-shot has become.

**Oh Yeah, and:** Title credits belong to Relient K, because I'm terribly unoriginal when it comes to coming up with titles. And I'm sorry that this is longer than the actual prologue.


	2. If You Want It

"Black is rather charming, don't you agree?"

Emmeline glanced curiously at Marlene. She was relieved to see that her friend was staring longingly at Sirius Black rather than his brother.

"Honestly, no."

Marlene turned around to glare at Emmeline. "Emme, how could you not think so?! Look at him! He's… he's like bloody Adonis!"

"Do you even know who Adonis is?"

"That's beside the point!" Marlene insisted.

"Adonis was a man loved by Aphrodite. And Marlie, you're no Aphrodite."

Marlene didn't even have to look up to know that it was Caradoc. "Shut up you bloody Welsh!"

"I'm quite fond of the 'bloody Welsh', Marlene," Frank muttered. "And he's right."

"You shut up, too, you blasted barmy camp-as-a-row-of-pink-tents… thing!"

Emmeline giggled. "Oh, don't listen to them Marlene, you're pretty. Frankie's just jealous of you, and Caradoc's just jealous of Sirius." Emmeline had long ago learned that the best way to deal with Marlene McKinnon was to feed her ego, not her temper.

This earned Emmeline glares from Caradoc and Frank.

"I'm not bloody camp!"

Unfortunately for Frank, he had decided to yell this at the very moment that the Great Hall had fallen into one of its lulls of freshly-woken teenagers.

Frank turned redder than Lily Evans' hair and stood up. "I'll be in the Common Room."

Marlene burst into a fit of giggles as Frank walked off, shortly followed by his loyal-to-death best mate Caradoc.

"What's so funny that a lovely third year like yourself can't stop giggling?"

Marelene did stop giggling upon this point, blushed the same shade of red that Frank had turned earlier, and looked up to meet the grey eyes of the one and only Sirius Black.

Emmeline rolled her eyes and Marlene's behavior. "I'll be in the library." She stood up and began walking to the library.

"Hey, Emmeline, wait!" Sirius called. Emmeline turned around.

"Yes?"

"Come back here for a second!"

Emmeline groaned, rolled her eyes, but obliged. "Yes, Sirius?"

"If you see my brother in there – oh he's always in there, which just goes to prove that blood really doesn't determine anything. I mean, you're so like Moony, but you're not blood relatives, and I'm nothing like my brother, and we _are_ blood relatives."

"Sirius."

"Oh, right. Well if you see my brother in there – you know what he looks like, right? About four inches shorter than me, hair that's about the same length as Moony's but as nice as mine, grey eyes, skinny – well he's Slytherin's Seeker, he's really got to be…"

"Sirius."

Sirius grinned guiltily, knowing all too well his tendency to ramble and forget his original point. "If you see my brother – give him a snog, yeah?"

This was rewarded by Sirius getting a goblet of pumpkin juice splashed into his face and Emmeline storming off to the library.

"…What?" Sirius asked Marlene, who had arched an eyebrow. "He fancies her."

--x-x-x-x-x--

It was fitting that the first person Emmeline saw upon entering the library was none other than Regulus Black.

Emmeline made a point to avoid Regulus, as whenever she met him, she became quite like Marlene was around Sirius. It was because of this that Emmeline quickly found a table and took out all of the materials that she needed to complete her Potions essay – which was, admittedly, her worst subject. She had hoped that Regulus hadn't noticed her, but she had never really been lucky.

"Hello, Vance."

Emmeline blushed and ran her fingers through her knotty-curly hair. "Black."

"You've just had an encounter with my brother, I assume?"

"Who? Sirius? Is it that obvious?"

She was talking far too quickly and felt her face getting hotter by the second.

"He has more or less the same effect when he hits on Slytherins whose best friends hate him."

"I don't hate him," She muttered, bending lower over her essay so that he couldn't see her red face and terribly illegible handwriting. "I just hate that Marlene fancies him and he leads her on. Honestly, it'd be much easier if she fancied Gerard Rush. At least he dates girls, and doesn't just snog them and leave them."

Regulus laughed. "That's more or less true. And anyway, Vance…"

"Yes?" Her heart rate increased, though surely he wouldn't… he was a Black, of course, and she was a Muggleborn and…

"I was wondering…"

He was drawing this out. It was to torture her, wasn't it? Sirius loved to make Emmeline miserable, suppose Regulus was quite the same. Though she was sure – certain – that he wasn't like his brother, and maybe he even strived not to be and…

He tried to lean on the table – perhaps emulating something he had seen Sirius do… and in the process, Emmeline jumped up and spilled her bottle of ink. It spilled all over her essay, ruining it.

"Fuck," she muttered, flushing an even deeper red.

"Here," Regulus offered, and she didn't notice that his voice was shaky too, and that he was a bit more flushed than he should have been, and that he avoided looking her in the eyes. He muttered a spell – though Emmeline didn't notice that his wand was shaking – his hand was shaking – he was nervous – and the ink came off of the parchment leaving Emmeline's essay partly finished.

"Thanks."

"Er… don't mention it."

"Anyway…"

"Yeah?"

"What… erm… what were you going to say?"

"Oh, that." His voice seemed quieter, and his face flushed to a shade that Emmeline would have noticed had she not been staring intently at her shoes.

"Well…?"

She was certain that her face was a very deep red by that point, but she was confident that her hair covered most of her face, because _no way_ was she going to let Regulus Black know that she was nervous. Not that he would have noticed, as he was starting at his shoes rather intently as well.

"Well…" He swallowed. His mouth felt terribly dry all of a sudden, and he was certain that she thought that he was being rather pathetic. Not that suavity was ever his strong suit. Cissy called him "adorable" which no almost-fourteen-year-old ever wants to be called. When Sirius had been his age… no. He mustn't think about Sirius. Thinking about Sirius leads to lower self-confidence and making a mess of things.

"Black…?" She was terribly nervous. Suppose he wanted to tell her that he knew that she fancied him… and if he didn't fancy her… oh that would be terrible… she would demand to be homeschooled if that were the case.

"Er… you see, the thing is…" Why couldn't he formulate words? The proper words. Was "I fancy you" really that difficult to say? She was pretty, yes, but she wasn't as pretty as Meissa Montague, who threw herself at him on a daily basis. He could talk to her – well not so much talk as tell to sod off, but it was the same idea, right? The same physical function. He could hold a conversation with Meissa's sister Aza with no difficulties – and she was a Gryffindor. She was pretty, she was smart, she was a lot of things that Emmeline was, but he didn't fancy her. Maybe that had something to do with it, but he could talk somewhat coherently with Emmeline normally, why not today?

"Yes?" Maybe Sirius was right for once. Maybe the only thing to do would be to snog him. All she'd have to do was close the few feet – no it was inches now, when had it become inches? – between them and press her lips to his and hopefully he'd react... but she couldn't. He was too handsome, too rich, too powerful, too clever, too athletic… too much for her, obviously. He was much too good for her.

"I…" _fancy you. It's not that difficult._ Still he faltered. Still his gaze remained on his shoes. And when had her shoes gotten so close to his? He was inches away from her, closer than he'd been since their brothers tried to force them to become friends in first year… all he had to do was lean in, maybe lift her chin if she wasn't looking at him, and kiss her. That might be easier. Yes… maybe that's what he'd do.

He inhaled sharply. It wasn't that difficult, really. He'd just lean in and hopefully… _Sirius does this all the time… it can't be that hard_, he reasoned, but he realised that he couldn't move. Had someone put a full-body-bind curse on him? No, it wasn't that, he could blink. He could take in a deep breath. He'd just have to do it. He wasn't a Gryffindor, but that didn't mean that he couldn't be brave.

"Black, I think that whatever you've got to say… you should just come out and say it. I won't bite."

It'd be fine. She wouldn't overreact, she said. She'd be fine. So all he had to do was work up the courage to close those few inches between them and then…

"Hey! Emmeline! You'll never guess who I've got a date with!"

And just like that, any chance he had to… oh what was the phrase? Carpe diem, sieze the day… was completely gone.

"I'll… I'll see you around, Vance." He looked up from his shoes to her face – she was a few inches shorter than him, but she wasn't drastically short like her friend Marlene McKinnon was – and smiled.

Then he promptly turned the other way and ran out of the library.

Under James Potter's invisibility cloak, Sirius Black cursed. "I _told_ her to snog him! Why does no one listen to me?"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Erm. Yeah. Awkward Regulus. I'm pretty much updating as much as I can because I'm moving, and we can't get internet at the new place for about a month.


	3. I Don't Need a Soul

The atmosphere of the party was heavy with smoke, loud music, the easily identifiable smells and sights of certain types of drugs and alcohol, and people – anywhere from fifteen to twenty five years old. Everywhere, there were bright colours – oranges, reds, pinks, blues, yellows – only slightly masked by the smoke. Most of the people – those who weren't passed out – were drunk, stoned, both, or well on their way to getting there.

Among the crowd of people were two teenagers – wholly unremarkable to look at – well, that's not quite right. The bloke looked too much the part of the aristocrat – high cheekbones, slightly upturned nose, ridiculously well-kept black hair now falling into his heavy-lidded grey eyes - to even be caught dead at one of these parties – and there he was, not-quite-drunk but well on his way to being completely hammered – with a joint in hand. The girl was pretty enough – not that one could tell through her layers of makeup and ridiculously teased out blonde hair. Her blue eyes were distant, foggy, as if she had no idea where she was – but she didn't want to leave any time soon.

No one in the crowd paid much mind to either of the two teenagers. They assimilated in with the party, drinking and smoking their way to oblivion.

No one thought much of it when they seemed to recognize each other, vaguely – though anyone with their wits about them would have wondered how they would have ever met before – it was his first time at a party, and she didn't seem the sort to hang around with blokes like him.

No one paid any mind when their "What are _you_ doing here? Does your brother know? He'll kill you if he finds out!" greetings turned into kissing, somehow. (He had smirked, and said that he didn't care what his brother thought; she had growled that she wasn't a little girl and her brother had no right to treat her as such. His smirk grew, laughing "Is that right?" and then he'd kissed her, surprising them both, even in their drunken and disjointed states.)

No one noticed when their kissing – slow and sloppy at first – turned into all out snogging. (Because desire had completely overcome his senses and if he wasn't allowed to be at this party, what harm could a little snogging do? And because she enjoyed it far too much – his lips were far too soft, and his taste was much too intoxicating.)

No one missed them when they disappeared down the hall to try to find an empty room – which proved a difficult task – but when he remembered that he was a Wizard, well, a few Confudus Charms never hurt anyone.

No one wondered what might be happening in that room – they were both still decently young, weren't they? But they didn't seem to care, so why should anyone else?

No one heard them – what wonders a few well-placed charms might do! And so no one was able to stop them – but when it came down to it, the many Muggles in the house wouldn't have been able to if they'd have _tried_.

But in the morning – when bright sunlight shone through the window because they'd been in too much of a hurry to shut the curtains – _why did it have to be such a bloody bright day, anyway, _he wondered groggily,_ this was _London – the two teenagers certainly noticed whom they woke next to. They suddenly remembered why last night had been such a blur – and why there had been so much urgency, and why the feeling of breaking some unsaid rule was so strong.

"Black?"

He took a few minutes to reply, to remember that _he _was Black, not Reg, as he'd introduced himself to John a few weeks ago – a huge fan of the punk lifestyle, but Black. A Pure-blood. Regulus Black. A Slytherin. A Wizard. And here he had been last night, _fraternizing_ with Muggles and Mud-_Muggle-borns_. Like Vance. And yet… for all of the rules that had been drilled into his head since birth, he couldn't bring himself to regret last night.

"Bl- …Regulus?"

Her use of his first name – his _real_ first name – drug him out of his thoughts

"Yes?"

"Last night… did we…?"

She'd left her question open-ended, but he'd known what she was going to say.

"Yes. I mean… I'm fairly certain… that we did… yes."

She groaned. "I'm going to be killed for this. Auntie Lalie and Uncle Henry and Remus and – they don't need to keep me in, either. And oh, God, if Marlene were to find out… or Frank, oh, God, I'm such a hypocrite. I told Caradoc to stay clear off of drugs at the platform. I mean, it was a joke, but still…. Fuck."

"…You won't… _tell them_?"

She looked at him as if he'd gone mad. "Of course not."

There was an uncomfortable silence, where she had begun glancing around the room, trying to spot her clothes and he tried to shake the events of the previous night out of his head.

"You… you won't tell your friends, will you?"

He actually laughed out loud at the idea. "Of course not. If I tell Crouch or Snape, we'll both be _murdered_ – and I'm _not_ joking, Vance, you're a Muggle-born and I'm a Pure-blood, a Black – and if I tell Lizzy, she'll kill _me_, and… well, why would I tell Sirius? I haven't spoken to him in months. Not that I'd consider him a friend, anyway."

She didn't comment on his response and instead set about looking for her clothes. She'd only located her knickers and bra after searching the entire room. "Er… Black?"

"Vance?"

"Er… I can't find my… clothes. I mean…" she blushed a furious red, "I've got my underclothes, but… I don't know where my skirt and top are. D'you… d'you think we might have, erm, _started_ in another room?"

He messaged his temples. This was _not_ good. "I have no idea. I was so sloshed last night, Vance, that I think my head will split right now. Just tell me that you've at least found my boxers."

When there was no reply, he looked over at the scantily clad Emmeline for the first time that entire morning. He was shocked to find that she was actually _pretty_. He'd always known that, of course, but now she was standing over him, wearing nothing but her knickers and bra…

"Black, you're staring."

He flushed, averting his eyes. "Sorry. It's just… er…" he trailed off. "So have you found my boxers?"

"…I'm sorry, Black."

He groaned. "Fuck."

"Oi! Reggie, mate, time to get up!"

The voice came from the other side of the door. Regulus cursed under his breath, grabbing his wand from beside the bed and lifting any charms that he'd placed last night. Emmeline, instinctively, jumped back under the covers next to Regulus.

The door opened, and John entered.

He saw the two of them, and raised one eyebrow. "So these clothes would belong to both of you, yeah?"

Regulus was filled with relief when he noticed the pile of clothes in John's arms.

"Yeah. I would er… get them, but…"

John laughed, a strident, grating sound with Regulus's hangover, and put the clothes at the foot of the bed.

"Come out when you're fully dressed. We all wanna go get something to eat, and it'd be great if you could join us before the owners of this place get back."

"Right," Regulus muttered, nodding.

John laughed again, and exited the room, shutting the door behind him.

As soon as he was gone, Regulus grabbed the pile of clothes, handing the skirt and shirt Emmeline had worn the night before to the blonde in question.

"Where's your wand?" he asked her as he pulled on his boxers.

"Left it at home," she said simply. "I've been to these parties before. Never got as wasted as I did last night, though. I've found that it's better to leave my wand at home, just in case someone were to see me with what would appear to be a wooden stick stuck in my boot or my skirt."

"That's… actually really clever."

They finished dressing, and in the hallway, Emmeline found her boots and put them on.

"There's the lovebirds!" John yelled.

Regulus was suddenly very nervous. Emmeline, however, didn't seem phased. "Quite right you, are, John. And if you lot don't mind so much, I'll be taking him home… my parents don't get back until next week."

This comment was met with uproarious laughter. Emmeline gave a cheeky grin and dragged Regulus outside.

"Your parents…? Sirius said…"

"Sirius was right," Emmeline muttered. "But I tend to keep that to myself. And my friends."

They walked in silence, apparently going the same direction – south – but neither saying anything to the other. Not that it was a comfortable silence by any means. Regulus, for one, had tried to say something many times, but had utterly failed to come up with words that made even vaguely coherent sense. And so it was Emmeline that finally broke the silence.

"Where do you live?"

"Islington – though I sincerely hope that my parents aren't home, it'd be difficult to explain my clothes away." He paused, looking her over. "Where do you live?"

"Chiswick, though I'm probably going to stop by a friend's house first and set up an alibi."

"Who?"

She paused, apparently thinking. "Marlene McKinnon, I'd say. She lives in Cambridge."

"And how would you get home?"

She shrugged. "I'll probably walk, to be honest. I don't have enough money for the Underground or anything, so…"

"So I'll get you on the Knight Bus."

"Why would you do that?"

He shrugged. "Because you shouldn't walk all the way to Chiswick. Besides, you'd get home far too late."

He was right, of course, but she didn't want to admit it. "Black, I can handle myself."

He hated how she used his surname. "_Vance_, I'm trying to be nice. And…"

"And…?" she repeated, obviously annoyed.

"And how many times have you gone home wearing something like that?"

She blushed. "I usually get home around midnight so that I can change into pajamas."

"So you need clothes as well."

"Look, Marlene–"

"Is about three inches shorter than you and a good deal, erm… flatter, as well. In fact, I'd go so far to say that _my_ clothes would fit you better than hers."

Emmeline glared at Regulus, but knew that he was right. Marlene's clothes always looked terrible on her, and vice-versa. "What do you suggest?"

"I have a small amount of money…"

"Define 'small amount', Black."

"Erm… I think twenty Galleons converted into pounds sterling so that's…"

"About sixty quid," Emmeline finished for him.

"No, no, I remember the Goblin telling me that it was a _lot_ and what was a _Black_ using Muggle money for… I think… no, it was six hundred pounds sterling."

Emmeline stopped walking. "What?"

"What? Is that a lot?"

"Yes, Regulus, that's a hell of a lot. And at a party like we were at last night…"

Regulus laughed and reached into his shirt, and pulled out a pouch. "Interior pockets. And this pouch is mokeskin with an undetectable expansion charm on it."

Emmeline found that for once, she had absolutely nothing to say. Frank would be very amused, she knew, but there was Regulus Black, talking nonchalantly about the kind of money that she'd never held in her life, and, if she wasn't mistaken, offering to buy her clothes.

"And, er, if you know how to go about in a Muggle shop, I'd gladly give you some money so that you could buy some clothes that _wouldn't_ make your aunt and uncle think you'd been mugged."

"I couldn't…" she mumbled, though she wanted to.

"I insist, really."

He reached into the pouch and pulled out two twenty-pound notes. "Here. I insist, Vance. And if you're really too stubborn to take it… I suppose I _will_ tell Sirius about last night, and you know that he tells James Potter and Remus Lupin _everything_."

He was blackmailing her. She narrowed her eyes at him, and he smirked.

"What will it be?"

She took the money out of his hand. "Fine, I'll take the money, Black." She turned away from him and began walking towards a shop when she felt him grab her arm.

"I'm not going to leave you alone."

"Why not? I'm a big girl, I can handle myself."

He laughed. "You're fifteen. You're wandless. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you."

She laughed at him. "Cut the act, Black. You don't–"

He turned her around, meeting her eyes. "I care what happens to you, Vance. You may be annoying, and you may be extremely immature, but I don't want you dead. Or worse. Now, just humour me and I'll leave you alone once you're on the Knight Bus."

She rolled her eyes. He was being ridiculous, really, one night and he was already this overprotective? They'd never even had a proper conversation before! But still… he seemed to be telling the truth (though she was a bit piqued that he'd called her immature) and he _was_ right. She was fifteen, and wandless, alone, in London, dressed… well, dressed like a punk. He was fifteen, too, surely, but he had a wand and didn't look at all afraid of using magic outside of school. And he was a bloke, too, which she figured might lessen the chances of getting hurt around him. It didn't hurt that he was very attractive, either – but she wouldn't let anyone know that she felt that way, especially not him.

"Fine. But when we get to Marlene's place she can't see you, okay?"

The reason she had was obvious, and so he didn't question it. "As you wish."

Infuriating. He was absolutely infuriating.

"This won't happen again."

"Of course not."

There was amusement in his tone, and that only served to annoy Emmeline further.

"It can't."

"I know. We'll both be killed."

And somehow they were back at the beginning two weeks later.

**

* * *

**

Author's Note

: This was supposed to be my Regulus one-shot, but now it's part of this whole thing. This takes place the summer before their fifth year… that being the first summer since Sirius ran away. 


	4. Forget And Not Slow Down

Lizzy had noticed that Regulus had been acting strangely. At first, she'd thought that maybe it was because he'd had his first summer holiday without a word from his brother, but she later decided that that couldn't be it. Still… and his recent interest in Muggle Studies, though she knew perfectly well that he despised the subject. She was curious as to why he was acting so strange. She didn't have any classes with him… she'd need to hire a spy if she wanted to know what he was doing.

And suddenly, she knew what to do.

"No."

"Alice, all of the times that I've helped you!"

"For your profit!" Alice countered.

"Please!"

"No!"

"Why not!?"

"Hm… because it's immoral, because I'm not even in his House, because it's lying, because this cuts out time for me to hang about with my mates, because he's an arse, because if he's managed to keep this from you he's definitely not going to be obvious to me, and because you can just _ask him_."

"Ask who what?"

Alice squeaked and Lizzy grinned. "Hey, Reg."

"Ask who what?"

"Oh, Abbott told me –"

"Is this about the Emma thing?"

"Yes."

"I don't want to know."

"I wouldn't have told you anyway!" Even though if it _had_ been about the Emma thing, she would have told him.

Regulus snorted at this. "Right."

"I'm going to corner Abbott after Transfiguration tomorrow," Lizzy said cheerily and skipped away.

Regulus turned to look blankly at Alice. "…She's absolutely mental."

"At least she's not _your_ cousin."

--x-x-x-x-x-x--

And Lizzy obviously _had _cornered Abbott after class because she came out onto the Quidditch pitch at the end of Slytherin team's practice to talk to Regulus.

"Regulus, I desperately require your assistance," she called, wandering out onto the Quidditch pitch where she _knew_ the Slytherin team was practicing.

Regulus descended a few feet. "Can it wait? Belby's –"

"Hopeless. And you wonder why Gryffindor has a better team. Skill, not money, Regulus, darling."

He rolled his eyes at me but landed anyway. "What is this all about? I'm supposed to meet someone after practice so…"

"Who?"

He shook his head. "Never mind who I'm meeting. No, she's not a Death Eater and we're not going on a raid or whatever it is you imagine we do."

"She?" Lizzy pressed, keen to know more. Maybe this was his secret.

"Never mind," he repeated. "Lizzy, you've obviously got something you require my assistance with, so ask away."

"So, remember when Abbott told me that I'm Emma and that it's no wonder I haven't realised Knightly's intentions? And obviously I was confused?"

"This is about your love life?"

"Yes. Now listen. So, I asked her today who she thought Knightly was, and she said my best mate. Obviously, best mate, I think of you, and she quickly shoots that option down, which I was very glad for."

Regulus arched an eyebrow.

"I mean, you're lovely and all, Reg, but. I'm not at all attracted to you. You're much too athletic to be my type."

He laughed at that. "And I feel the same of you, only substitute nerdy for athletic."

"I would take offense to that if it were anyone but you, you know that? And anyway," she continued, not letting him finish, "Abbott left then, so I went to see Gerard, because he would know a Hufflepuff's brain better than anyone else I'm friends with. He said it's probably Brendon, Regulus, _Brendon_."

"Er… is there something wrong with Poe, now?"

"What? No, of course not. But…"

"But…? I don't really see the problem. He obviously fancies you, you clearly fancy him, just snog him and get it over with."

Lizzy gasped at what Regulus had said. "I don't fancy Brendon!"

He laughed. "Even _if_ that's true, which it isn't, I'm not going to go up to him and snog him."

"Oi! Black, can we go now?" one of the players asked.

"Yeah," Regulus said, nodding to the bloke. He turned to Lizzy. "Look, Lizzy, really, I wish I could help you, but it's what? Four? I need to meet someone."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Sure. Walk with me back to the castle, at least? Most of these Slytherins give me the creeps."

"I'm a Slytherin."

"But you're not hulking, creepy, or threatening, and you're also my best mate. Therefore, you don't give me the creeps."

Regulus rolled his eyes at her.

"So who are you meeting?"

Regulus groaned. "No one important, Lizzy."

"Is this why you've been acting so strange since holidays?"

"I haven't been acting strange."

"Oh, but you have," Lizzy insisted. "And that sudden interest in Muggle Studies."

Regulus didn't notice a hole in the ground and tripped – with a sickening cracking sound – falling flat on his face. "_What_?"

He quickly got up and brushed himself off. "Shit… my ankle."

Lizzy rolled her eyes. "Here," she muttered. "Episkey." There was a cracking sound and his ankle instantly felt better. "Though I think you should see Madam Pomfrey. I'm no expert."

Regulus shook his head. "No, I really have to meet…" He froze. "Look, I appreciate your help – and your concern – but I'm fine. Really."

Lizzy looked him over with a critical eye. "No, actually. You're not. You look paler than normal, you've got bags under your eyes, I hadn't previously been aware that you could even grow facial hair, and your hair looks like it hasn't been cut in months."

"To be honest, I hadn't noticed."

"Who's this person you're meeting?"

"I can't tell you. But you should really let me go, Lizzy…"

"You look like you haven't slept in weeks."

"Not soundly."

"Let me see your arms."

Regulus immediately held out his right arm. "I assume you know what's on the left."

"Yes, and it was incredibly stupid of you."

She examined his arm. "So you're not doing heroin."

Regulus groaned. "You think I'm doing drugs? Muggle drugs of all things?"

"Actually, I'm fairly certain that you're doing drugs."

"Lizzy, I don't have time for this."

"This would go a lot easier if you'd answer my questions."

"Ask away."

"Which drugs?"

Regulus groaned. "None, at the moment. Over the summer I pretty much tried everything but heroin. Though I could sure use something now. Happy?"

Obviously not. Lizzy was glaring at him.

"Drinking?"

"All the time."

"And this girl you're meeting…?"

"Snogging," Regulus answered, though Lizzy was sure that he was lying.

"Sex?"

"I've had it, yes."

"Sleeping much?"

"No. Barely, actually."

"Miss your brother?"

"Yes."

"How much?"

"More than I thought possible."

"And how much of this is a coping mechanism?"

"The drugs and drinking at least. Though the other two are certainly a result of drugs and drinking."

"Regrets?"

"Hundreds. Maybe over a thousand at this point."

"And your sudden interest in Muggle Studies?"

"I'm not answering that one."

"Fine."

"Are you done?"

Lizzy seemed to be considering something. "Yeah. For now. But Regulus, seriously. Slow down. Get some sleep."

"Why? I'm going to die anyway."

"Regulus."

He looked down at her, meeting her eyes. "Fine. I'll slow down, and I'll try to get some sleep."

"Good. You can go now."

Regulus said nothing, but left for the castle.

Now Lizzy was sure of what Regulus was doing, but she was also sure that she couldn't do much more to intervene or help him.

**Author's Note**: Of course, we know that Regulus has absolutely no intentions of slowing down. Again: updating like mad because I soon won't be able to update at all.


	5. If You Believe Me

****

ATTENTION.  
THIS YEAR'S PLAY WILL BE  
_THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST_  
BY MUGGLE PLAYWRIGHT OSCAR WILDE  
THERE ARE NINE CHARACTERS,  
AND WE NEED ONE STAGE MANAGER.

"The Importance of Being Earnest. Great, another rubbish play. And to think – I'd hoped that we'd only have to do a play last year."

Emmeline laughed. "Cheer up, Frank. It's not that bad, really."

"I wish I'd listened to Caradoc and taken Care of Magical Creatures instead."

"I think everyone wishes they hadn't signed up for this particular course," Alice Prewett muttered. "Especially since it's a nine-person cast, and oh! Look at our class. There's the three of us. There's Bertram Aubrey over there, chatting with Regulus Black – though why either of them are in this class, I've no idea. That's five. There's Ashley Ellington – Merlin help us if she gets cast. And the Bones sisters – ten months apart, both still in our year – Amelia and Demelza. That's eight. Pollux and Castor Vane over there – fraternal twins. That makes ten. Five blokes in the cast – five blokes in the class."

"Oh, Merlin…" Frank moaned.

Emmeline couldn't resist laughing. "I can't wait to see Black and Aubrey acting out a Muggle play again. Last year was hilarious."

"Indeed it was, Carreen. Wasn't Black Brent?"

It was meant to be an insult, but Emmeline apparently didn't see it that way. "Why, yes, he was. And as such, was in a very small part of the play last year. This time… well unless he's Lane or Merriman, he's going to be in most of the play."

"Oh I'll no doubt be the main character."

The three – well they weren't all friends exactly, Alice was the odd one out – turned around to see Regulus Black smirking.

"What makes you say that?" Emmeline asked, matching his smirk.

"Besides the fact that the main character's usually amazingly handsome – and I do share that trait – this is a play about Society. I imagine that Longbottom and I are the only aristocrats in the entire class. Maybe _you,_ Prewett, …and the Boneses, but Longbottom and I are doomed to be the two main characters."

"And what makes you so sure that you'll be Jack?"

"I'm a devilishly handsome liar living a double life, of course. Who could play that better than I could?"

"Oh, come off it," Frank muttered. "Though you're probably bang-on with the casting. My middle name is Algernon – after my uncle. No doubt I'll be Algernon Moncrieff."

"Which, again, leads me to be the main character." Regulus mocked thinking for a moment. "Though it'd be a right shame if I were cast opposite anyone but you, Vance."

"Shove off, Black," Emmeline muttered, but she could tell that she was turning red. _Damn him._

"Oh, no, I'm quite serious – if you'd pardon the pun, as I'd much rather not be compared to my brother. You'd be the perfect Gwendoline – and I do believe that she's traditionally blonde – and we do know how the _lovely_ Proffessor Burbage loves following tradition – and has never heard of wigs, of course. I'm terribly sorry if this offends you, Vance, but I'd much rather play opposite you than Ellington, and I quite think that Prewett will be cast as Miss Cecily Cardew."

"What makes you so sure of that?" Alice asked.

"Besides the fact that Burbage saw fit to make you India to Longbottom's Charles? Burbage enjoys setting people up, if you hadn't noticed, and I quite think she's out to set the two of you up, next. And if Longbottom is Algernon, then you'd logically be Cecily."

"Either you've been spending too much time with Lizzy – which isn't a compliment, Black. She may be my best friend, but she's a bit mad; or you told the Sorting Hat to shove you in Slytherin rather than Ravenclaw."

"What, Slytherins can't be clever on their own?" He appeared to consider something. "Then again, Crouch, Crabbe, Goyle, Malfoy, Mulciber, Avery, Dolohov, Rowle… I see your point. The odds are certainly against intelligent Slytherins – though, in fact, a good portion of Slytherins – myself not included – are only Slytherins because they're pure-blood, their family have been Slytherins, and they have no qualities of any of the Houses. I, however, am cunning, manipulative, and will do _anything_ to get what I want. Isn't that right, Vance?"

"Oh, sure, Black. That's absolutely right," Emmeline drawled; sarcasm glaringly evident. Frank didn't seem convinced by this display of apparent distaste – as Emmeline certainly never acted like this when she actually disliked someone.

"Sarcasm, Vance? Don't you believe me?"

"To be honest, Black, I don't."

"Is that right?"

"Quite right," Emmeline assured him, feeling a sickening sense of déjà vu.

Regulus's smirk grew, and he leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Then I suppose you won't mind meeting up with me tonight? Say around ten? Seventh-floor corridor, by the tapestry of Barnabus the Barmy?"

"You wish," she replied, trying – and failing – to fill her voice with venom. Instead it came out in a weak whisper, her voice catching in her throat.

"Oh, I do wish, Vance. Though I'm certain that this one will come true."

He pulled away and Emmeline glared at him. Regulus merely laughed and went back over to Aubrey to continue some conversation.

"What the hell was that, Emmeline?" Frank demanded.

"What the hell was _what_, Frank?"

"How you just acted around Black – Merlin, it was almost like you fancied him or something."

Emmeline laughed. It might have been convincing – had Frank not been her best friend since first year. "I enjoy the banter, Frank, that's all. It's absolutely nothing to worry about. I'm not going to fall for Black of all people."

--x-x-x-x-x-x--

"And yet you always blush when he's within earshot, and you're always quiet around him – and Emme, you're never quiet."

"Marlene, give it a rest. Just because you shagged his brother – who then promptly dumped you – it doesn't mean that I fancy Black."

Marlene pursed her lips. "Fine. I don't think he'd be good for you anyway. Maybe in Fourth Year, before he started hanging about with Crouch – but now he's almost evil…"

"Not evil," Emmeline corrected before she could help herself.

"Oh? And how would you know this?"

"Basic psychology. His brother's a womanising prat, and a Gryffindor, and a member of the Order, and an Auror-in-training, and yet still – Sirius is a damn good Wizard. Talented without trying. And we have classes with Black – Regulus Black – and he gets As without trying, sure, but he can't get Es without putting forth some effort, and he works damn hard to get Os… except in Potions, but that's no doubt due in part to Slughorn."

"You seem to know a lot about him."

"I'm observant, that's all. But I think that he wants to prove himself different from his brother – maybe even prove himself to his parents – because with a son like Sirius, it's hard to imagine his parents favouring Regulus at all until Sirius ran away."

"…If this is all observant psychology, I think that you should ditch the Wizarding World and become a Muggle Psychologist. I'm going to bed. It's eight. I need my beauty sleep," Marlene muttered. With that – and a hug from Caradoc – she traipsed up to the dormitories.

Emmeline tried to take advantage of the next two hours by working on her Potions homework. But Potions, for some reason, always put Regulus Black in her mind. Finally resigning to meet him, she glanced at the clock. It was five minutes past ten. She was late, but Black would be there until ten-thirty, at least.

"I'm going to the library," Emmeline announced to no one in particular. "I'll be back before midnight."

"Don't get caught by Filch," Caradoc advised, and with a grin Emmeline left the common room.

Of course, instead of going to the library, Emmeline headed to the seventh floor corridor, where Regulus Black was leaning up against a wall casually.

"I almost thought that you wouldn't come, Vance."

"I wasn't going to. Anyway, what happened about last week, when you told me that we shouldn't be together?"

"I was drunk," he offered by way of explanation.

"You weren't. I've seen you when you're drunk. You were completely sober, and don't give me any rubbish about being stoned either."

He laughed – amused by her, almost as if she were a joke. "Fine, I'd come to my senses for a bit. But now I'm completely barmy again, so let's give this another go, yeah?"

Emmeline rolled her eyes. "And where are we going?"

Regulus grinned – and honest, excited grin, one that Emmeline was certain that she had never seen on his face before – and grabbed hold of her hand. He began pacing, back and forth, down the corridor, dragging Emmeline along with him.

"I found this room a few weeks ago – Sirius told me about it once, but I'd completely forgotten. I was trying to avoid Barty and…"

A door appeared. He opened it and led Emmeline inside.

"Wow, an actual bed this time, Black." Her tone was dry, sardonic, but he noticed the effort that she point forth to make it appear that way. He always noticed the little things with her.

"Yeah, I'd noticed. So… which way for tonight? Romantic, animalistic, fueled by hatred…?"

But she knew – they both knew – that how it happened didn't matter… it was the fact that neither of them could – or wanted to – quit, even though both were aware that every night spent like this would endanger their lives.

"Black… sometimes, you disgust me."

He smirked. _Hatred it is._


	6. Part Of It

**_THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST_  
CAST:  
John Worthing, J.P.:** Regulus A. Black  
**Algernon Moncrieff:** Frank A. Longbottom  
**Lady Bracknell:** Amelia Bones  
**Miss Gwendoline Fairfax:** Emmeline M. Vance  
**Miss Cecily Cardew:** Alice C. Prewett  
**Rev. Canon Frederick Chausble:** Castor Vane  
**Miss Leticia Prism:** Demelza Bones  
**Lane:** Pollux Vane  
**Merriman:** Bertram Aubrey

"I told you that I'd be the lead."

Emmeline rolled her eyes before scanning the cast list for her name.

"Looks like I'm in luck, Vance. You're Miss Gwendoline Fairfax."

"Fuck."

"Oh, don't act like that. You only have to snog me."

"There's no snogging in the entire play. Jack kisses Gwendoline's cheek once."

"It's Burbage, love."

"Love?"

"It's an expression, Vance."

"That insinuates that you have feelings for me other than hatred."

"I don't hate you."

"Right."

"And you don't hate me."

"That's a laugh," Emmeline muttered, feeling herself blush just the same.

"It isn't. And anyway, Burbage will turn a kiss on the cheek into snogging."

"Burbage will ruin Oscar Wilde."

"I actually think that would make the play much better."

"My friends are a few feet away, Black."

"And I can't say that you're pretty?"

"Not knowing what you insinuate, no."

"Must you always think the worst of me?"

"Yes. It's the only thing that keeps me sane when I look at you."

"So you do fancy me?"

"I hate you."

He laughed. "I'm sure you do. Either way – fancy me or hate me – you still _want me_."

Emmeline tried to look offended, disgusted, but she couldn't. "I don't."

"You're really a terrible liar, Vance. You might want to work on that. I don't want us to be murdered, you know."

"I'm not a bad liar. I can lie to people."

"Only not to me, am I right? Of course I am. Anyway, I have a sneaking suspicion that you might not mind snogging me if Burbage does what we're all sure that she will."

"Shove off, Black."

"That's what I thought."

Before Emmeline could come up with anything else to say, Regulus calmly walked away, a huge smirk on his face.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Erm... not much to say. Besides the fact that I adore the _Importance of Being Earnest_ and think it's brilliant as it is. And I don't own it, of course.


End file.
